State Of Washington v. Jacob L. Eveland

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided June 25, 2019·No. 51112-6·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed

Washington State

Court of Appeals

Division Two

June 25, 2019

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 51112-6-II

Respondent,

v.

JACOB LOYD EVELAND, UNPUBLISHED OPINION Appellant.

SUTTON, J. — Jacob L. Eveland appeals his convictions for first degree murder and first degree arson. Eveland argues that the trial court denied his right to present a defense by erroneously excluding evidence that in the days and months leading up to the incident, Eveland consumed drugs and exhibited strange behavior. Eveland argues that the evidence was relevant to his defense theory that he was unable to form the necessary intent to commit the crimes and that it supported a voluntary intoxication instruction, which the trial court refused to give. We affirm Eveland’s convictions.

FACTS

I. THE INCIDENT

On May 31, 2016, at approximately 9:30 P.M., Roy Jones’s grandmother drove Jones to the house where he was living. Eveland owned the home, and Jones lived in the basement. When Jones’s grandmother dropped Jones off, Eveland was sitting in a gold truck. It was later discovered

that the truck belonged to a relative of Eveland’s ex-wife, Terry Zolman, who had reported the truck stolen the day before.

Later that night, around 11:00 P.M., Richard Bulley, who lived down a driveway from Eveland, was home with his wife when he heard two loud explosions. Bulley’s wife yelled that Eveland’s house was on fire and then saw a truck with lights on top coming down the driveway away from Eveland’s home.

Bulley told his wife to call 911, and he ran to Eveland’s home. When Bulley approached the side of the home to see if anyone was inside, he noticed there was a trail of blood leading away from the door. Bulley followed the trail of blood and discovered Jones’s body about 20-to-30 feet from the home.

Six .22 caliber shell casings were found near Jones’s body. An autopsy later revealed that Jones had been shot eight-to-ten times in the chest, left arm, armpit, face, and hip. In addition to the gunshot wounds, Jones had also been stabbed seven times in the back, shoulder, neck, and arm. The wounds caused Jones to bleed to death.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the fire at Eveland’s home. The lead ATF investigator concluded that the fire was caused by someone pouring several gallons of gasoline down the stairwell to the basement of the house and igniting it.

A week after the incident, Seattle police located Zolman’s stolen truck and witnessed Eveland get into the truck. Seattle police arrested Eveland. Inside the truck, police found a box of unfired .22 caliber cartridges, a gym bag, and two pipes typically used for smoking marijuana

and methamphetamine. Blood stains on a sock found in the gym bag and on a shoe Eveland was wearing when he was arrested, matched Jones’s DNA.

Eveland made four audio-taped statements to law enforcement and a video reenacting how he killed Jones and set the fire. In the first audio recording, Eveland told police that he killed Jones because “[h]e had wronged me in the past and for some selfish reason, I thought I would make it right.” Exhibit 129 at 10. Eveland explained that he stabbed Jones many times then shot him six or seven times “to make sure it was done with.” Exhibit 129 at 12. Eveland explained his motivation for killing Jones, “I felt that he was to blame for everything,” “Yeah, basically I snapped, you know. I mean everything that happened that Roy had done to me,” and “I know this sounds sadistic, but I wanted a chance for him to look in my eyes and feel the pain that I felt from him taking everything from me.” Exhibit 129 at 92, 93, 99.

Eveland also confessed to using gasoline to start the fire. Eveland explained that he started the fire to get rid of all the bad memories in the house and to get rid of evidence.

When asked if he had used drugs in the previous two weeks, Eveland told law enforcement “No sir, I’m clean.” Exhibit 129 at 6. He then added that he had smoked marijuana and “drank once in the two weeks.” Exhibit 129 at 6. Later, he said that “[i]n the last two weeks, I’ve had four drinks in two weeks,” and “I mean I’m going to AA, you know, I haven’t been drugging.” Exhibit 129 at 20. Eveland discussed using cocaine “back in the day” and smoking heroin. Exhibit 129 at 43. He claimed he had not used methamphetamine until “just recently.” Exhibit 129 at 43.

II. CHARGES AND TRIAL

The State charged Eveland with first degree murder and first degree arson.1 The State also alleged that at the time of the commission of the crimes, Eveland was armed with a firearm and/or a deadly weapon, and that Eveland manifested deliberate cruelty to the victim and/or displayed an egregious lack of remorse during the murder.

At trial, Eveland sought to admit voluntary intoxication evidence to support his defense theory that he was too intoxicated from methamphetamine laced with methylenedioxy- methamphetamine (MDMA) to form the requisite intent to be guilty of the crimes. Specifically, Eveland sought to admit testimony from his father, stepmother, and ex-wife that in the months leading to the incident Eveland was using drugs and acting strange; hospital records from March 2016; testimony from a police officer that Eveland was “acting extremely strange” at the Sea-Tac Airport on May 29; and testimony from a man who had met Eveland at American Lake the day before the incident and witnessed Eveland exhibiting strange behavior and using marijuana. Report of Proceedings (RP) (10-19-17) at 469.

Eveland also sought to admit expert testimony from Dr. David Dixon, a clinical psychologist who had conducted a forensic clinical psychological evaluation “to determine [Eveland]’s mental state at the time of the alleged offense and evaluate any possible mental disorder.” Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 12. In conducting his evaluation, Dr. Dixon examined Eveland for over six hours and reviewed discovery, which included hospital records from a week before the incident showing a positive blood test for methamphetamine. The report noted that hospital

1 RCW 9A.32.030(1)(a), RCW 9A.48.020(1)(a), (b), and (c).

staff assessed Eveland with “tangential thinking” and diagnosed him with an “amphetamine induced psychosis.” CP at 22. Dr. Dixon’s report concluded:

There are a number of documentations suggesting Mr. Eveland was toxic by his abuse of methamphetamine in the time frame around the alleged incident.

....

He does not, or is unable, to explain his experience and circumstances at the time of the alleged crime as he denies that he was involved with the incident. Thus assessment of diminished capacity is difficult. Accepting his explanation that the amphetamine drug was cut and laced with MDMA, we would expect his mental status to be effected by an altered mood and perceptions (awareness of surrounding objects and conditions). . .

[MDMA] produces feelings of increased energy, pleasure, emotional warmth and distorted sensory perceptions of time. . . It often causes nausea, blurred vision, chills, and sweating. The effects can last between three to six hours and can cause irritability, impulsiveness, depression, impaired sleep, anxiety, and memory and attention problems.

CP at 22-23.

The State moved to exclude the proffered voluntary intoxication evidence, arguing that none of the evidence demonstrated that Eveland used drugs on the day of the incident. The State specifically argued that Dr. Dixon’s proposed testimony failed to meet the threshold for admissibility of expert witness testimony under ER 702 because Dixon could not render an opinion as to whether Eveland’s ability to form intent was impaired by his drug use.

The trial court ruled that Dr. Dixon’s report and corresponding testimony were inadmissible because there was no evidence that Eveland consumed methamphetamine or methamphetamine laced with MDMA near the time of the incident.

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State Of Washington v. Jacob L. Eveland, (Wash. Ct. App. 2019).

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